Weekend Recommendations #29

This is a weekly feature, where I get to go all fannish about two randomly-picked favvies (which may not actually be favorites, but got a rating of 3 or more strawberries) that I would recommend to friends!

Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Genre: historical fiction
Part of a Series: No
Rating: 5 out of 5
Who'll Like It: Girls and guys alike, better for ages seventeen and up - all the way to adult. Readers who like Holocaust and WWII books will love this.

Why I Liked It:

I love WWII and Holocaust novels. This did take me a while to actually get around to reading, because when it first came out, the narration style confused me (I was younger in age). But the second time through, it impressed me so deeply. The style is so very emotional and evocative, the characters are amazing, and this was just a beautiful read. One of my new favorite books ever.

Title: The Caged Graves

Author: Dianne K. Salerni

Genre: historical fiction/mystery

Part of a Series: No

Rating: 4 out of 5

Who'll Like It: Girl-read, fourteen-and-up, fans of historical fiction and mysteries.

Why I Liked It:

Perhaps not the most complex or even engaging mystery on earth, The Caged Graves had a very interesting concept and lots of great characters. I never knew if it was going to stay in the world of reality or take a supernatural turn - it had the potential for either. While there's a love triangle, I actually ended up liking both guys a lot and didn't mind who the protagonist ended up choosing, because they were both awesome.